Merchandise display stand



Feb. 13, 1934. J, jl CONWAY 1,946,779

MERCHANDISE DISPLAY STAND Filed March 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 13, 1934. J. J, CONWAY 1,946,779

MERCHANDISE DISPLAY STAND Filed March 8, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN ENTOR Patented F el.` 13, 1934 1,946,779 y MERCHANDISE DISPLAY STAND John J. Conway,

The l Acme Shear Company,

Bridgeport, Conn., assigner to Bridgeport, Conn.,

a corporation of Connecticut Application March 8, 1933. Serial- No. 660,017

6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in merchandise display stands and has for an object to provide such a stand essentially inthe form of a tower whereby merchandise may be displayed in a rising arrangement and may be more easily seen and examined and whereby a large quantity of merchandise may be displayed with the use of but a small counter space.

Another object is to provide a stand as indicated and which may be made in a variety of shapes as round, square or rectangular in cross section, and which may be made of any suitable material and ornamented or not as desired.

A further object is to provide a merchandise display stand which may be manufactured at low cost and which may be collapsible or not as desired but which when collapsible may be shipped in a dat or a substantially flat condition to save expense and which may be easily and quickly set up ready for use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein satisfactory embodiments of the invention are shown. However, it must be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall Within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1` is a perspective view showing one form of the improved display stand, several pairs of shears or scissors being displayed thereby;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially'along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view showing the lower portion of the upright or tower of the stand in collapsed condition;

Fig. 5 is a view looking from the lower end of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view showing a slightly modified construction;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 7 7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view through the tower or upright of the stand of Fig. 6, when collapsed;

Fig. 9 is an elevational view of the lower portion of a stand the tower or upright of which is round in cross section:

Fig. 10 is a top plan View of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 9 but showing a slightly modified arrangement;

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the complete display stand of Fig. 11; and

Fig. 13 is a side elevational view showing a @0 further modification.

Referring in detail to the drawings and at rst particularly to Figs. 1 through 5, the improved display stand as shown includes a base generally designated 15, a tower or upright generally desig- 35 nated 16 and comprising the body of the device, and a top or cap 17 arranged on the upper end of the body 16. The body or upright 16 may be formed of any suitable` material, as for example cardboard, wood or sheet metal, and is here shown as cross sectionally square including sides or walls 18, 19, 20 and 21, the said walls being hingedly connected at their longitudinal edges and tapering throughout their lengths whereby the body is of greater cross sectional area at its lower or base end.

Three of the hinged joints designated 22 may be made by cutting partially through the material from which the body is made, when said body is of cardboard as here disclosed, and the fourth `ioint between the edges of the body may include an overlapping ange 23 carried as by the wall 21 and secured to an edge portion of the wall 20 by any suitable adhesive or the like.

a attened condition as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in which the side walls 21 and 18 are disposed against the side walls 20 and 19 respectively. Carried by the lower end of each Iof the side walls of the body is an extension 24 and these said extensions are shown as formed with arcuate outer edges although they may be of any shape desired, the outer edges of the extensions as shown forming substantially a complete circle when the extensions are arranged all in the same plane. These extensions 24 function `in the mounting of the body 16 on the base 15 and the base as here shown includes an upper member or top 25 and a lower portion or bottom including a disc 26 to the upper side of which is secured an annulus 27. One of the edge portions of the top 25 of the base is secured to the lower or bottom portion thereof in any 106 suitable manner as by staples or the like 28 and the remaining portion of said top 25 is adapted to be swung toward or from the lower portion of the base as by ilexing along the line 29.

Top 25 of the base is provided .with an open- 110 From this description it will be ap- S5 parent that the body 16 may be collapsed into ing 30 of the same conguration as the body 16 of the stand and such opening is of a size to snugly embrace the side walls of said body at its lower end as shown in Fig. 3. Assuming the parts to be assembled the extensions 24 are disposed below the top 25 of the base and within the annulus 27 and are clamped between the portions 25 and 26 of the base. To secure the parts in this position any suitable means, as for example, a split rivet 31, may be passed through the base and then have its ends folded over.

To collapse the device it is but necessary to remove the rivet or other fastening means 31 and then swing the body and the top portion 25 of the base into a position at right angles to the remainder of the base and to then draw the body 16 through the opening 30. The cap 17 may then be removed from the body and the body collapsed to lie fiat and the portions of the base are again secured together by the rivet so that the base is at. condition they may be packed for shipment and will occupy a minimum of space and will not be likely to be crushed or destroyed while in transit.

When the device is to be set up the top 25 of the base is swung into the dotted line position of Fig. 3 and the body is then passed upwardly through the opening 30 to dispose the extensions 24 against the underside of the top of the base after which the said top of the base is disposed in its normal position and the split rivet passed through the base. The cap 17 as shown includes side walls which overlap the side walls of the body and the cap being a rigid structure will assist in holding the body against collapse. If desired, the said cap may be provided with a slot or opening 32 for the insertion of a stake or the like carrying a price card or a card bearing other information concerning the merchandise displayed.

In its side walls the body 16 is provided with openings into which the merchandise to be displayed may be partially inserted. In the instant case the wall 18 is provided with relatively large openings 33 arranged in alignment with somewhat differently shaped openings 34 in the wall 20 and it will be noted that in the drawings the openings 34 are located below the openings 33 although not necessarily so, but this is a preferred arrangement since when articles to be displayed are inserted as are the scissors or the shears 35 the point ends of the article are extended through the lower opening 34 whereby the article is retained in place partially by gravity. However, the openings might, of course, be arranged in the same horizontal plane and while the openings are in alignment they are not necessarily arranged in diametrically opposite walls since they may be in adjacent walls.

The walls 18 and 20 are each provided with only one vertical row of openings although it will be understood that more or less openings may be provided as required. For example, the walls 19 and 21 are each provided with a double row of openings each wall having a row of the relatively large openings 33 and a row of the relatively small openings 34. With this latter arrangement the scissors or shears may be inserted from opposite sides as indicated by the shears 36 and 37 of Fig. 1. The device is not limited to use for displaying shears or scissors but may be used for displaying other implements or tools as screw drivers or the like,

With the parts in this.

and it is not necessary that the articles being displayed extend through two sides of the body or tower. When the openings are arranged in the various sides or walls then articles having the same colored handles or articles of the same size may all be displayed at the respective sides of the body or stand.

Referring now to Figs. 6, 'l and 8, the improved stand as here shown is of substantially the same construction as that previously described and includes a base 38, a body or tower 39 and a cap 40 which cap may, if desired, be provided with the slot 32 of the cap 17. The base 38 includes a body portion 41 supporting an annulus 42 against the upper side of which is arranged a top 43 for the base. The parts of the base are secured together adjacent one edge as by a staple or the like 44 and the top 43 of the base is adapted to be swung away from the annulus as by folding along the line 45. A split rivet 46 may be used to secure the parts together.

Body or tower 39 as here disclosed is rectangular in cross section and is formed of cardboard and includes walls 47 and 49 being provided with the openings 33 and 34 while the walls 48 and 50 are shown as imperforate. Obviously, the openings 33and 34 may as in the case of Fig. 1 be of any desired size or configuration. The side walls of the body carry extensions 51 corresponding with the extensions 24 previously described and these extensions are received within the base and held between the top 43 and the bottom 41 of the base being received in suitably shaped openings or recesses in the annulus 42.

The body 39 is collapsible and is shown as formed of cardboard, and is partially cut through at its three corners 52 and at its fourth one of its side walls carries a flap or flange 53 also partially cut through and secured to the adjacent side walls as by adhesive or the like. This body 39 also extends through an opening in the top 43 of the base and is held against collapse by the base and by the side iianges or walls of the cap 40. When the device is to be shipped it may be collapsed as will be understood and as suggested in Fig. 3. I

Figs. 9 and l0 disclose an arrangement wherein the body or tower of the stand is cylindrical or round in cross section. In these figures the base is generally designated 38 since it may be of substantially the same construction as the base of Fig. 6 and may function in the same manner. The body or upright is generally designated 54 and includes side walls or side wall portions 55, 56, 57 and 58 hingedly connected as by flexible strips 59. These strips, of course, provide hinged joints between the sections and a pair of the-diametrically opposite joints are cut away as at 60 whereby when the body is removed from the base the body may be collapsed. The body is provided with any suitable openings as for example the openings 33 and 34 into or into and through which scissors or other articles to be displayed may be partially inserted.

Figs. 1l and 12 show yet a further modiiication wherein the body of the stand is substantially square in cross section and is generally designated 61. The body 6l is made collapsible as by having its corner portions partially cut through at 62 and each side wall of the body carries an extension 63 foldable into a position at right angles to the body. These extensions provide means whereby the body may be mountwith a slot or opening correspondingV Walls 47, 48, 49 and 50, the' ed and the extensions may be secured to a counter or the like as by nails or tacks 64. Such securing of the extensions holds the body against collapse and the cover 17 may be applied to give the device a finished appearance and to assist in holding it against collapse. The side walls of the body 61 may be provided with any desired arrangement of openings for the insertion oi' articles to be displayed, the openings 33 and 34 being shown in Fig. 1l. With this construction it will be noted that no base is employed and consequently the device may be more cheaply manufactured.

Fig. 13 suggests yet another modification and in this iigure the body or tower is generally designated 65 and comprises a lattice work construction including corner uprights 66 connected by diagonally disposed strips 67. Of course, the strips 67 when spaced apart provide an open-work or lattice into which any articles to be displayed may be partially inserted. If desired, the body 65 may be attached to any suitable base or other support and at its upper end may be supplied with a cap or the like to give it a nished appearance. Further, the body may be of any desired cross sectional shape.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided a means whereby a large number of articles may be displayed for instant inspection and whereby such articles are so disposed relatively that they may be easily compared as to size and the like. Further, this large number of articles may be displayed through the use of a minimum of counter space. The stands may be made in a variety of sizes and shapes to suit different tastes and they may be ornamented in a like manner. When the stands are to be shipped they may be collapsed fiat and thus shipped cheaply and further while they are collapsed there is little risk of breakage.

Having thus set forth the vention, what I claim is:

l. In a merchandise display stand, a hollow upright body including side walls, said side walls having openings therein for the insertion of portions of articles to be displayed whereby said articles may be supported and displayed by said upright body, the walls of said body having extensions at their lower ends for supporting the body in vertical position, a base including relatively movable top and bottom portions, said top portion of the base having an opening therethrough through which said body may be passed to dispose said extensions at the under side of the top portion of the base, and means for securing the top and bottom portions of the base together to secure said extensions between them.

2. In a merchandise display stand, a hollow upright body including side walls, said side walls having openings therein for the insertion of portions of articles to be displayed whereby said articles may be supported and displayed by said upright body, said walls of the body hingedly connected whereby the body may be collapsed, a removable cap on one end of said body, said cap including side walls embracing the upper portions of the side walls of said body and supnature of my inporting them against collapse, and outwardly directed extensions on the lower ends of the walls of the body for supporting the body in vertical position and against collapse.

3. In a merchandise display stand, a hollow upright body including side walls, said side walls having openings therein for the insertion of portions of articles to be displayed whereby said articles may be Supported and displayed by said upright body, said walls of the body hingedly connected whereby the body may be collapsed, a removable cap on the upper end of said body, said cap including side Walls embracing the upper portions of the side walls of said body and supporting them against collapse, the walls of said body having extensions at their lower ends for supporting the body in vertical position, a base including relatively movable top and bottom portions, said top portion of the base having an opening therethrough through which said body may be passed to dispose said extensions at the under side of the top portion of the base, and means for securing the top and bottom portions of the base together to secure said extensions between them.

4. In a merchandise display stand, a hollow upright body including side walls, said side walls having openings therein for the insertion of portions of articles to be displayed whereby said articles may be supported and displayed by said upright body, the walls of said body having angular extensions at their lower ends for supporting the body in vertical position, a base including relatively movable top and bottom por'- tions, said top portion of the base having an opening therethrough through which said body may be passed to dispose said extensions at the under side of the top portion of the base, said bottom portion of the base partially hollow and said hollow portion shaped to receive said extensions and means to secure the top and bottom portions of the base together to securesaid extensions in the hollow portion of the base whereby the base may support the body in vertical position.

5. In a merchandise display stand, a hollow body including article supporting side walls, extensions on the lower ends ofv said .valls for supporting the body in vertical position, a base including relatively movable top and bottom portions, said top portion of the base having an opening therethrough and through which said body may be passed to dispose said extensions at the under side of the top portion of the base, and means for securing the top and bottom portions of the base together to secure said extensions between them.

6. In a merchandise display stand, a body, lateral outwardly directed extensions on the lower end of said body for supporting the body in vertical position, a base including relatively movable top and bottom portions, said top portion of the base having an opening therethrough and through which said body may be passed to dispose said extensions at the under side of the top portion of the base, and means for securing the topv and bottom portions of the base together to secure said extensions between them.

JOHN J. CONWAY. 

